The Morenci Marines: A Tale of Small Town America and the

The Morenci Marines: A Tale of Small Town America and the Vietnam War

In 1966, nine young men left the Arizona desert mining camp of Morenci to serve their country in the far-flung jungles of Vietnam, in danger zones from Hue to Khe Sanh. Ultimately, only three survived. Each battled survivorâ€™s guilt, difficult re-entries into civilian life, and traumas from personally experiencing warâ€”and losing close friends along the way.

Such stories recurred throughout America, but the Morenci Marines stood out. ABC News and Time magazine recounted their moving tale during the war, and, in 2007, the Arizona Republic selected the â€œMorenci Nineâ€ as the most important veteransâ€™ story in state history. Returning to the soldiersâ€™ Morenci roots, Kyle Longleyâ€™s account presents their story as unique by setting and circumstance, yet typical of the sacrifices borne by small towns all across America. His narrative spotlights a generation of young people who joined the military during the tumultuous 1960s and informs a later generation of the hard choices made, many with long-term consequences.

The story of the Morenci Marines also reflects that of their hometown: a company town dominated by the Phelps Dodge Mining Corporation, where the company controlled lives and the labor strife was legendary. The townâ€™s patriotic citizens saw Vietnam as a just cause, moving Clive Garciaâ€™s mother to say, â€œHe died for this cause of freedom.â€ Yet while their sons fought and sent home their paychecks, Phelps Dodge sought to destroy the union that kept families afloat, pushing the government to end a strike that it said undermined the war effort.

Morenci was also a place where cultures intermingled, and the nine friends included three Mexican Americans and one Native American. Longley reveals how their backgrounds affected their decisions to join and also helped the survivors cope, with Mike Cranford racing his Harley on back roads at high speeds while Joe Sorrelman tried to deal with demons of war through Navajo rituals.

Drawing on personal interviews and correspondence that sheds new light on the Morenci Nine, Longley has written a book as much about loss, grief, and guilt as about the battlefield. It makes compelling reading for anyone who lived in that eraâ€”and for anyone still seeing family members go off to fight in controversial wars.
Country USA
Brand University Press of Kansas
Manufacturer University Press of Kansas
Binding Hardcover
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780700619344
ReleaseDate 0000-00-00

Country	USA
Brand	University Press of Kansas
Manufacturer	University Press of Kansas
Binding	Hardcover
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780700619344
ReleaseDate	0000-00-00

The Morenci Marines: A Tale of Small Town America and the Vietnam War

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